Apr09
Scranton Times Tribune | Editorial | April 9, 2012
Pennsylvania's conservative lawmakers famously favor local control of almost everything. They want local control of federal dollars for education and social services. They have pushed a law precluding implementation in Pennsylvania of the federal health care law.
They stand their grounds for local prerogatives - until the gun lobby comes calling. Then, they dutifully roll over and play dead. Unfortunately, the result of that policy is that many victims don't get to play dead; they really are dead.
Those ardent advocates of local control are pushing two bills sought by the National Rifle Association that would strip Pennsylvania's cities of a key element of local control over public safety.
The bills would eliminate 30 local ordinances that require gun owners to report to police when their guns are lost or stolen.
Those ordinances are in response to a well-documented problem. Police who trace guns used in violent crimes often end up talking to people who claim that the weapons had been lost or stolen.
Investigators know, however, that gun owners sometimes sell the weapons to criminals who cannot legally obtain firearms. The lost or stolen ordinances go a long way toward preventing illegal gun trafficking.
State law holds that only the state can regulate firearms. But the lost or stolen ordinances do not prevent anyone from legally owning a firearm. They require only responsible conduct from gun owners when a weapon goes missing. It does not preclude legal gun ownership and does not pre-empt state regulation.
The NRA already tried to challenge the ordinances in state courts but lost at every turn. The state Supreme Court ultimately and correctly ruled that the gun lobby had no standing to challenge the ordinances.
So, instead, it has turned to its reliable lap dogs in the state Legislature. They should summon the gumption to serve public safety rather than their masters by upholding the local ordinances.
http://thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/enough-rolling-over-for-gun-lobby-1.1297123#axzz1rSs8M5tU
